The truth about safety is that it’s inspired by both corporate leadership and the employees themselves. As a warehouse employee (or a candidate looking to enter into the industry) warehouse safety needs to be a top priority because at the end of the day it is you and your coworker’s safety and wellbeing that is on the line. Safety is everybody’s responsibility, and it’s your investment in a safety culture that makes it effective and central to a warehouse’s core operating principles.

With that in mind, here are a few ways you can up-level your safety at work.

Contribute to a True Safety Culture

An effective warehouse safety culture goes beyond signs on walls. It is a culture of both individual and group values, attitudes, and competencies from the ground floor all the way to the top. Safety is everyone’s responsibility and a team of warehouse workers who understand this keep an eye out for each other. They show a real commitment to their safety program, rules, regulations, and help each other make the right decisions when it comes to anything from forklift operation, safe storage practices, even wearing the proper safety equipment like hard hats or visibility vests.

Understand Safety Protocols

It’s important for you to take responsibility for your own safety in the workplace, as well as that of your coworkers. When safety isn’t everyone’s responsibility, then the program isn’t doing its job and employees like yourself are at risk. You should know what to do in case of an emergency, as it is employees like you who are most likely to experience and respond in the case of an accident in a warehouse. You should know what to do during and after an incident when it occurs, how to report the accident, and how leadership and the organization as a whole will respond.

Teach and Model Warehouse Safety

If your teammates are unaware of current safety protocols or the possible repercussions that they might incur should safety policy be overlooked, take it upon yourself as a team member and a leader within your workplace to help educate them, or suggest the need for additional training. While it is up to management to set the stage for an effective safety program in the workplace, that program is truly meaningless without investment from the workers themselves. Take the training you need to be able to model real warehouse safety protocol. Help others get the training they need if and when they need it. Lead by example and help show that the rules are meant to be taken seriously.

Understand the Need for High Standards Stems from High Vulnerability

Warehouses can be dangerous work environments. Things can fall when not stored correctly. Equipment, when handled improperly, can harm or wound users or those nearby. The list goes on. The need for high safety standards comes from a true vulnerability of the workers in that environment. When taken seriously, a safety program requires constant vigilance and worker empowerment to handle safety issues should they occur will help to establish effective communication, mutual trust, and timely response to safety issues and concerns. So make sure your safety standards are as high as they should be because at the end of the day your safety is your responsibility as much as anyone else’s.

Are you looking for new warehouse opportunities?

Contact All-Star Personnel today, now hiring safety-minded warehouse workers.